GT winning its first conference game...

...has huge implications historically for the fate of GT's ACC football season. I went back and compiled every year we lost the first ACC game of the season and how we finished out. It wasn't pretty. When GT lost the first game of the ACC season, we finished on average with a 44% winning percentage in ACC play and never finished above 2nd place in conference play. If it weren't for two ACC season opening losses to FSU in 1999 and 2000, the record would be even worse as those are the best two records in seasons where GT dropped the first conference game of the season. Check out the chart below (Next = result of next conference game):


Now, when GT wins the first conference game of the season, our fortunes magically turn upward. We average a 69% winning percentage in conference play and have finished with the best conference record roughly one third of said seasons. Check out the chart:


The only disconcerting fact amongst all of these numbers is that GT is 9-18 in the second game of the ACC conference slate since we started conference play in 1983.